food+drink
A classic Somali dish of goat and rice at Kismayo Kitchen
GLENN RUSSELL
Full Plate
At Kismayo Kitchen, Somali and American fare share the menu B Y S A LLY POL L AK
T
he jasmine rice at Kismayo Kitchen is long grain and speckled with color: glints of orange, yellow and green light up the dish. The grain is cooked with herbs and seasonings used in Somali cuisine, including cumin, cardamom, basil and pepper. The extra color is derived from bits of dried vegetable, but the chef-owner of the restaurant in Burlington’s Old North End declines to reveal particulars. “It’s a secret,” said Ahmed Omar, who is known familiarly as Omar, his surname. Omar opened Kismayo Kitchen in June in the small building on Riverside Avenue that previously housed Sugarsnap and the Little Red Kitchen. The restaurant is named for the city in which Omar was born 32 years ago.
FOOD LOVER?
GET YOUR FILL ONLINE...
38
SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 4-11, 2019
The five-table eatery with counter service serves lunch and dinner daily. The menu at Kismayo Kitchen is multicultural, to use Omar’s term, and offers traditional Somali dishes, as well as Italian American and American fare. One Somali dish presents a choice of protein — beef, chicken or goat — grilled with red onion and peppers and served with rice or pasta ($11.99). Another is a rich and creamy coconut chicken stew ($7.49), studded with vegetables and prepared with a base of coconut milk and tomato. Vegan or meat samosas ($1.99) are spiced with cumin
LISTEN IN ON LOCAL FOODIES...
and hot pepper; their abundant filling falls from the shell with the first bite. A Philadelphia cheesesteak ($7.49) topped with American cheese is served on a squishy grinder roll that’s spread with Somali-spiced mayo; the bread soaks up the meat’s juice in true Philly style. Omar said he wants to make a top-notch cheesesteak and offer food that will appeal to many diners — wraps, potato salad, kale salad, pasta and sauce. But his desire to serve dishes from Somalia propelled him to open his restaurant.
FIRST
BITE
BROWSE READER REVIEWS OF 1,000+ RESTAURANTS AT SEVENDAYSVT.COM/FOOD. REGISTER TO JOIN OUR BITE CLUB. YOU’LL GET FOOD NEWS IN YOUR INBOX EACH TUESDAY.
FULL PLATE
LOOK UP RESTAURANTS ON YOUR PHONE:
» P.40
CONNECT TO M.SEVENDAYSVT.COM ON ANY WEB-ENABLED CELLPHONE AND FIND LOCAL RESTAURANTS BY LOCATION OR CUISINE. FIND NEARBY EVENTS, MOVIES AND MORE.